Assignment 3.1: Action Plan for Group Policy Brief
Assignment 3.1: Action Plan for Group Policy Brief
In Module 4, you will write a group policy review paper. You and your team members will select an evidence-based policy that targets substance use or abuse in communities, states, or at the federal level. A list of potential topics is provided below, other policy or prevention efforts can also be chosen as your topic and should be approved by the faculty member. Contact your Academic Coach if you would like to request a topic not listed below.
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· Warning statements on tobacco packaging
· Regulation of flavored tobacco products
· Tobacco-free kids
· Raising taxes on tobacco products
· Smoke-free public housing project
· Smoke-free restaurants, bars, public places, etc.
· Alcohol taxes
· Regulation of drink specials or wholesale pricing
· Blood alcohol concentration limits
· Prohibitions against underage drinking
· Pregnancy and drinking warnings in restaurants/bars
· Legalization of recreational use
· Cultivation restrictions
· Price controls and taxes
· Seed-to-sale inventory tracking systems
· Warning labels on packaging
Additional evidence-based prevention programs can be found at the SAMHSA National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices . Please keep your topics focused on policy or prevention efforts, not treatment. Assignment 3.1: Action Plan for Group Policy Brief
Instructions:
Use the links above to identify a policy of interest you will review with your team members. The group only needs to submit one copy of this completed action plan to Canvas.
1. Each team member needs to enter their name and preferred contact information below (university email, phone, text, etc.).
2. Collectively choose a policy topic for your paper and outline each team members individual responsibilities.
Policy Brief Instructions:
In your policy brief you will describe the addiction/substance abuse problem your selected policy addresses, describe the policy solution, discuss the evidence for why it was developed and implemented, and evaluate the effectiveness of this policy in communities. Your policy brief should be formatted as follows:
1. Title: Quickly communicates the contents of the brief.
2. Executive Summary: 1-2 paragraphs providing an overview of the problem, policy review, evidence for effectiveness, and recommendations.
3. Scope of the Problem: Communicate the importance of the problem and aim to convince the reader of the necessity of this policy action.
4. Policy Review: Describe in detail the selected policy approach; what does the policy propose to do and its rationale for implementation; how will it prevent substance use or abuse?
5. Policy Effectiveness: Evaluate the evidence for its effectiveness; review evidence of success in other countries, states, or communities. Is there evidence that is reduces or prevents substance use or abuse?
6. Conclusion: Discuss whether the policy is effective or sufficient as it is written; what recommendations do you have for improvement; what other recommendations do you have for policymakers?
7. Reference List: Use course provided materials or find resources at the UTA Library or government websites.
8. Write your policy brief using APA format . Assignment 3.1: Action Plan for Group Policy Brief
Policy Brief Topic: _____________________________________________________________
| Team Member | Contact Information | Assignment
Responsibilities |
6
Increasing Tobacco Taxes Decreases Prevalence of Use in Adolescents
Whitney Reed & Leigha Williams
University of Texas at Arlington, School of Nursing
2202-KINE-3355-500 Addictive Behaviors
Dr. Spohr
May 2, 2020
Executive Summary
The use of nicotine containing products and cigarette smoking has been a detriment to health since its origination. Study after study have proved the negative effects and outcomes associated with the use of nicotine. Nicotine use and cigarette smoking is exceptionally habit forming and has been called one of the most addictive substances. Like many addictions, total eradication of tobacco use would likely be an unattainable goal due to its prevalence and addictive properties. An achievable goal would be to decrease use among current users and to discourage potential users from adopting the habit.
Increased tax on cigarettes and nicotine containing products is considered a “sin” tax. The policy attempts to reduce nicotine use by individuals with a specific focus on reducing the likelihood and incidence of use among adolescents and youth. As taxes increase on tobacco products, fewer individuals will be likely to afford them or will be able to afford them less frequently. The policy imposed proves that the increased pricing has been effective in decreased sales of products, thus, resulting in decreased usage of nicotine containing products. If the increased taxation continues in increments over a period of time, the purchase of nicotine containing products will continue to decline and the decreased usage will continue to rise while limiting the adoption of this habit by adolescents and youth.
Scope of the Problem
Cigarette smoking is a widespread problem in the United States (US) and around the world. About 13.7% (34.2 million) of US adults smoke cigarettes (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2020). According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA; 2020), 90% of these adult smokers began smoking by the time they were 18 years old. The brain tends to be most vulnerable to addiction in adolescence. Sixteen-hundred individuals under the age of 18 will try their first cigarette each day (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019) and of those, greater than 250 individuals will become regular smokers (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2020). Evidence has proven that tobacco companies target adolescents with advertising via television and social media (Renzuli & Muggali, 2019). These companies even go so far as to pay celebrities to endorse smoking so that it appeals to the younger population (Farber & Folan, 2017). Cigarette manufacturers have also attempted to make smoking less harsh on the smoker by adding menthol to cigarettes to lessen the immediate negative reaction of inhaling such as coughing or a burning sensation (Farber & Folan, 2017). Since hitting the shelves, menthol cigarettes have become somewhat of a starter tobacco product for adolescents. The more pleasant an individual’s first experience is, the more likely they will to continue smoking and eventually develop and addiction. Adolescents are more vulnerable to the advertisements of the tobacco companies than adults (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2017). This is likely the biggest contributing reason for the daunting numbers of adolescents who smoke in the US. These numbers are the reason why public health programs and policies are necessary in fighting prevalence of smoking among America’s youth.
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Policy Review
The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids is an advocacy organization with the goal of minimizing the use of tobacco by adolescents around the world (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2019). Their vision is to have a “future free of death and disease caused by tobacco,” (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2019). This organization has developed multiple policies in attempts to achieve this vision. One of the most effective of these policies is the increase of taxes on cigarettes and nicotine containing products. The policy proposes that an increase in taxes at the federal, state and local government levels will decrease the sales of cigarettes to adults and youth alike (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2017). The rationale is that a higher cost will make an individual less likely to purchase them. The goal is to prevent the initiation of smoking and to endorse cessation of smoking (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2017). Affordability is the key to accessibility for adolescents. It is proposed that for every 10% increase in the price of cigarettes there is a 6-7% decrease in adolescents who smoke (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2017). The policy targets adults as well as adolescents because studies have shown that children whose parents smoke are at greater risk to try cigarette smoking in adolescence (Gilman et al, 2009). For this policy to work, the increase in taxes must be substantial enough to offset any counter efforts the tobacco companies may make in attempts to even out the cost to what it was prior to the tax increase. They do this in the form of discounts and coupons. It is suggested that cigarettes should cost as much as $10 for a single pack (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2020). The tobacco companies would have a difficult time meeting this price with discounts and coupons and still make a profit. The overall goal of the Tobacco Free Kids campaign to raise taxes on cigarettes is to produce long-term improvements on health by decreasing the prevalence of smoking (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2019). Assignment 3.1: Action Plan for Group Policy Brief
Policy Effectiveness
In April of 2009, congress approved a bill to increase tax pricing on cigarettes by 61.66 cents. The extra income from the increase in tax was allocated to expand the States Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in order to provide insurance to a greater number of children that do not have it (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2017). Cigarette sales dropped 8.3% in 2009 after the bill was passed (CDC, 2019.) The bill was effective in the long-term at the national level in the US as evidenced in a report conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this study, the amount of middle and high school students, who reported daily smoking, dropped from 11.4% in 2008 to 3.6% in 2019 (Office of Adolescent Health, 2019). The Massachusetts government was ahead of the federal government in increasing taxes on cigarettes. A study conducted by Carpenter and Cook (2008) looked at the effects of this increase at the state-level in Massachusetts and found that raising taxes on cigarettes by $1 had a 3-6% decrease in smoking reported by high school students. This tobacco price intervention policy has been proven effective at the international level as well. Studies done in the US, Canada, Australia, France, Ireland, Spain and Sweden found that the prevalence of smoking in adolescents was price responsive. Each of these countries saw a decrease in the number of adolescent smokers after raising taxes on cigarettes (Bader, Boisclair, & Ferrence, 2011). There is significant evidence on the state, national and international levels that proves the effectiveness of this policy. The increase in taxes on cigarettes decreases the prevalence of smoking, especially in adolescents.
Conclusion
The usage of nicotine containing products and cigarette smoking has always been a major concern with regards to health and well-being. These substances have proven to be exceptionally habit forming and addictive. While an ultimate goal of the complete abstinence of use would be the best outcome in achieving optimal health, a more realistic goal is the reduction of use in all users with an additional focus on reduction and prevention of use in adolescents and youth. Adolescents are especially susceptible to sales pitches, advertisements, peer pressure, etc. All of the aforementioned increase the likelihood of nicotine use in this vulnerable population. “Adolescence is a period of great risk for development of addictive behaviors” (Lichtenstein et al., 2018, p. 199). This policy and the continued increase in taxes has been effective in reducing the amount of nicotine containing product purchases which results in decreased usage and decreased likelihood of newly adopted nicotine habits. The extension of this policy will produce an even greater reduction in nicotine use and will help to promote and achieve optimal health and protection from detriment in our adolescent population.
References
Bader, P., Boisclair, D., & Ferrence, R. (2011). Effects of tobacco taxation and pricing on smoking behavior in high risk populations: A knowledge synthesis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8(11), 4118-4139.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2019, September 11). About us. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/about.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2017, June 15). Raising cigarette taxes reduces smoking, especially among kids. https://tobaccofreekids.org/fact-sheets/tobacco-control-policies.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2020, January 15). Toll of tobacco in the United States of America. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/problem/toll-us.
Carpenter, C., & Cook, P. J. (2008). Cigarette taxes and youth smoking: New evidence from national, states and local surveys. Journal of Health Economics, 27(2), 281-299.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, December 10). Youth and tobacco use. Retrieved 2020, April 30 from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/date_statistics/fact_sheets/youth_date/tobacco_use/index.htm
Farber, H. J., & Folan, P. (2017). The tobacco industry targets youth. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 196 (6), p 11-12. Doi:10.1164/rccm.1966p11
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2020, February 13). Youth and tobacco. Retrieved 2020, April 29 from https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/publichealth-education/youth-and-tobacco.
Gilman, S., Rende, R., Boergers, J., Abrams, D., & Niaura, R. (2009). Parental smoking and adolescent smoking initiation: An intergenerational perspective on tobacco control. Pediatrics, 123(2), 274-281 . https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2008-2251.
Lichentenstein, M. B., Griffiths, M. D., Hemmingsen, S. D., & Stoving, R. K. (2018). Exercise addictions in adolescents and emerging adults: Validation of a youth version of the exercise addiction inventory. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 7(1), 117-125.
Office of Adolescent Health. (2019, May 1). Adolescents and tobacco trends. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved 2020, April 30 https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-development/substanceuse/drugs/tobacco/trends/index.html.
Renzuli, C., & Muggli, M. (2019). Where there’s smoke: How big tobacco is taking over social media. Tobacco Prevention and Cessation, 5(Supplement) . Doi:10.18332/tpc/105410. Assignment 3.1: Action Plan for Group Policy Brief
